1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to night-lights and, more particularly, to a night-light configured to simulate a traffic signal in order to provide a child with a visual cue to remain in bed during a predetermined interval.
2. Background Information
Of the many challenges presented by parenthood, coping with a child""s sleep habits ranks quite high on the scale. For example, when a child becomes too old for a crib, but is not yet accustomed to sleeping through the night in a bed, the child has a tendency to rise from bed during the night and wander out of his or her room and into potentially dangerous areas of the home.
The traditional way to prevent a child from wandering throughout the home is to install a gate, typically adjustable, which extends across opposite walls in a hallway and/or a doorway in order to limit, to some extent, the movement of the child within the home. Such systems are unsatisfactory in a number of respects. For example, it is not unusual for preternaturally acrobatic children to climb, flip, or otherwise pull themselves over even the best-designed gates. Furthermore, those gates provide inconvenient (and potentially dangerous) barriers to the parents themselves, who often find themselves hurdling over the gates to reach the child in the middle of the night. In addition, such gates do not effectively train a child to remain in bed; they simply keep him or her in a particular room or set of rooms.
Another common method used to keep a child in his or her bedroom is to lock the door, from the outside. This method, however, can unduly psychologically traumatize the child by creating unnecessary feelings of isolation.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system which overcomes these and other limitations of the prior art.
The present invention overcomes shortcomings in the prior art by providing a night-light configured to emulate a traffic signal and thereby train a child to remain in bed during a predetermined interval. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a nightlight comprises a housing having a first light emitter (e.g., a red light source), a second light emitter (e.g., a green light source), a controller electrically coupled to the first light emitter and the second light emitter, and a timer interface electrically coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first, second, and a third mode.
In general, the first mode corresponds to the first light emitter being activated (xe2x80x9cbed-timexe2x80x9d mode), the second mode corresponds to the second light emitter being activated (xe2x80x9cwake-timexe2x80x9d mode), and the third mode corresponds to the case where neither the first or second light emitters are activated (xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d mode). The front side of the night-light is configured to substantially simulate the appearance of a traffic signal when used in conjunction with the first and second light emitters. A suitable plug, configured to be inserted into an electrical receptacle, is provided on a back side of the housing to provide power to the controller and/or light emitters.
In order to operate the system, the user first uses the timer interface provided on the night-light (e.g., within the night-light""s back surface, which will be proximate the wall when the device is plugged into a suitable electrical receptacle) to set the starting times corresponding to the three modes. The timing of the various modes can be selected such that the red light activates when the child is first put to bed, and then stays on throughout the night. If the child for any reason wakes up while the device is still in the bed-time mode, the red light produced by the device will provide a visual cue to the child that he or she should stay in bed. In the morning, however, when the device enters the wake-up mode and the green light has been activated, the child will interpret the green light to mean that he or she may then get up from bed. After a suitable amount of time (predetermined by the user or otherwise determined) the device will enter the off-mode, and both the green and red lights will be deactivated.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the timer interface may be configured to allow a user to specify a fourth time which corresponds to the beginning of an initial time period prior to said first bed-time mode. This embodiment, which makes allowances for the fact that children do not typically go to sleep right away, provides a green visual cue during an initial (preferably short) time period in which the child may rise from bed to request water or the like.
In accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the night-light incorporates a middle signal region (corresponding, for example, to the position of the yellow light on a traditional traffic signal) which includes a clock display which is settable via the timer interface.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the timer interface (which may be digital, analog, or a combination thereof) is preferably inset within the back side of the housing such that the timer interface is substantially concealed from view when the device is inserted into an electrical receptacle. This prevents the child from tampering with the device and inadvertently (or intentionally) altering the timing of the various modes. Alternatively, the night-light may be configured such that the timer may only be set through a method which is difficult or impossible for a child to manipulate and/or through a dedicated or special time-setting device.